San Francisco Giants come back big in beating the Colorado Rockies, erasing a six-run deficit

DENVER -- The Giants trailed by six and another potential Colorado Rockies run was on second when George Kontos took over in the bottom of the fifth inning at Coors Field. The ball manager Bruce Bochy delivered to Kontos came with a message.

"Hold us here and we'll get you the win," Bochy told the right-hander.

At Coors Field, that wasn't exactly a daring prediction, but the Giants still had to make good at the plate. They did, scoring 11 unanswered runs to take a stirring 12-7 win Tuesday over the Rockies. Kontos and Bochy met again in the dugout when it was over.

"He said, 'I told you! I told you!' " Kontos said.

All 12 Giants runs came in a four-inning span, including six in the seventh inning. The deficit was the biggest overcome by the Giants since they wiped away a six-run hole while winning in Pittsburgh on May 5. While the Giants (76-63) remained two games back of the first-place Dodgers, they gained ground on the next four teams in the wild-card race. Early on, however, they looked headed for a loss, too.

Making his second start in place of Tim Lincecum, Yusmeiro Petit lasted just four shaky innings and gave up six earned runs. The Rockies took a 7-1 lead off September call-up Michael Kickham, but Kontos entered and stabilized the game with five straight outs in the fifth and sixth.

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The Giants scored three in the sixth on homers by Buster Posey and Andrew Susac and then hit around in the seventh. A walk of Angel Pagan and double by Joe Panik set the table for Posey, who got the Giants within one with a double to the gap, one of 26 hits he has in the past 12 games. After Pablo Sandoval popped out, Hunter Pence hit a game-tying single and took second on the throw home. Gregor Blanco's third hit of the day put the Giants on top.

Susac and Brandon Crawford followed with a double and triple, respectively, capping the six-run inning. The Giants had five extra-base hits in an inning for the first time since Sept. 18, 2011. Naturally, that game was also played at Coors Field.

"It's been a good stretch," Posey said. "I think all of us are going up there putting up good at-bats."

The Giants added two more in the eighth, one of the runs coming when center fielder Drew Stubbs dropped Pence's two-out fly ball to center. Their bullpen didn't give up a run after the fifth, paving the way for the comeback.

"It's Coors Field," Bochy said, smiling. "I don't know how (Rockies manager Walt Weiss) does it. It was a tough start for us getting down there, but that's the beauty of this game here."

Michael Morse will likely miss the rest of the road trip after an MRI revealed he has a strained oblique on his left side. Morse hurt himself during batting practice Monday.

"It's a real small (strain)," Bochy said. "We're pretty optimistic he'll be ready by the time we get back home (next Tuesday)."

Even with his son about to realize a lifelong dream, Bochy never dropped any hints to Brett Bochy that he would be a September call-up. The 27-year-old right-hander got the news from Triple-A manager Bob Mariano on Monday morning.

"He wanted me to find out like everyone else," Brett said of Bruce. "Here, he's the manager. At home, he's dad. It's pretty special to be here and have the opportunity to pitch for him."

Bruce said Tuesday's clubhouse reunion was an emotional one, in large part because he knows how hard Brett worked to reach his dream. Brett had just one scholarship offer out of high school and chose to take it instead of pitching at a junior college, as his father recommended. The path was halted by Tommy John surgery after Brett was drafted in 2010, but he took a steady path to the big leagues. He had a 3.83 ERA in 35 appearances for Fresno this season.

"What a great day. I couldn't be prouder of him," Bruce said. "He put in a lot of work. To have 30 days up here with Brett is something I'll always cherish and remember. I don't know if I needed the added stress, but it's great to have him here."

The Bochys are the eighth father-son duo to be on the same big league roster as manager and player and the first since Felipe and Moises Alou did it with the Giants in 2005 and 2006. This isn't actually the first time the Bochys have shared a big league dugout. Brett was the batboy when Bruce's San Diego Padres went to the World Series in 1998.